The feds recently arrested 18 individuals accused of being involved in a mult-state drug trafficking ring. But along with the baker’s dozen of alleged drug dealers caught up in the scheme were five folks — three TSA officers and two cops — who are usually supposed to stop this sort of behavior.

The group is accused of illegal shipping and distributing tens of thousands of oxycodone pills from Florida to Connecticut.

From the Hartford Courant:

Authorities said that the TSA officers — two in Florida and one in New York — were paid to help drug couriers move pills and the stacks of cash they generated through airport screening systems. One of the police officers — a Florida state trooper — took drug money to travel to Connecticut, where he provided “protection” to a courier selling thousands of pills to a dozen or more lower-level dealers, authorities said.

According to the authorities behind “Operation Blue Coast,” while at least one Westchester County, NY, police officer was allegedly paid $20,000 for helping get the traffickers through airport security with large sums of cash, the TSA agents were a bargain, looking the other way in exchange for cash and gift cards worth $50 to $100.

“In these times, no one needs to be reminded about how dangerous it is when officers who have sworn to uphold the law accept money to ‘look the other way,’ ” said Connecticut U.S. Attorney David B. Fein.

Airport Security Officers And Cops Snared In Multistate Oxycodone Ring, U.S. Attorney Says [CTnow.com]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.